Pair of tongs for opening and/or closing of tins for paints, chemicals and the like

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a pair of tongs for opening and/or closing of tins for e.g. paintings, chemicals and the like and comprising two legs ( 4,5 ), which are pivoted around an axis ( 6 ) and said legs ( 4,5 ) are provided with gripping and nipping means ( 7 ) in its front portion. The one or upper leg ( 4 ) in its free end ( 10 ) is provided with a protrudable tongue formation ( 8 ), which in its active position is displaceable inwards under the folded edge ( 9 ), which extends around a lid ( 3 ) for closing of a tin ( 2 ), at the same time as at least one supporting formation ( 12 ) in the other or lower legs&#39; ( 5 ) free end ( 11 ) extends upwards and is passing the tongue formation ( 8 ) and inwards over an outer, upper free edge ( 13 ) of a tin ( 2 ) in order to support against said edge, so that during a pressing together of the legs ( 4,5 ) said tongue formation ( 8 ) is lifting upwards or separates the lid from the tin ( 2 ) during a simultaneous pressing of the supporting formation ( 12 ) against the upper edge ( 13 ) of the tin ( 2 ).

[0001] The present invention refers to a pair of tongs for openingand/or closing of tins for e.g. paints, chemicals and the like andcomprising two legs, which are pivoted around an axis and said legs havein the free or front end gripping and nipping means.

[0002] When tins, now existing on the market, shall be opened some typeof chisel is usually utilized, which is inserted between the groove ofthe lid and the periphery of the tin in order to open or take away thelid. In many cases this operation has been very difficult and especiallynow in the latest time when said groove between the lid and theperiphery of the tin opening is very small. Owing to environment— andtransporting requirements lids and pins have lately been formed in sucha way that the lid is fastened harder than before in prevailing ofleakage for example if a tin is dropped or a pallet of pins is tilted.When bending against the upper edge of the tin in order to try torelease the lid from the tin the edge will be deformed with the resultthat the tins is difficult to re-close with a belonging lid, so thatsaid lid can keep tighten against the remaining paints and the like inthe tin. An alternative for the screw chisel or a similar means is touse flat pairs of tongs or common cutting off tongs for these purposesbut also in these cases the edge portions of the lid and the tin caneasily be deformed, so that it will be difficult to achieve a tightenedpackage when closing the tin. On the market there are also a new type ofopening device, which in one end is specially formed for opening of beerbottles, Coca-Cola bottles and the like, and the other end of which isformed such as a flat, screw chisel formed portion, which is intendedfor opening of paint tins but also when using this tool a large effortis required and special steps of carefulness must be used during theopening, so that the edge portions of the tin and lid shall not bedeformed.

[0003] The object of the present invention is to provide a new type of apair of tongs, which is intended especially for opening of thismentioned new type of paint tins and which by using a simple operationsboth can loosen the lid from the tin and also close the same. Thecharacterizing features of the invention are set forth in the followingclaims.

[0004] Thanks to the invention a new type of pair of tongs has beenprovided, which is intended especially for opening tins of the typementioned above and which in an excellent way fulfils its purpose at thesame time as it is also relatively simple and cheap to manufacture. Thepair of tongs according to the present invention is in its tongue orgripping portion provided with a displaceable tongue, which extendsalong the upper leg and in this way by a simple operation can bedisplaced in under the folded edge of the lid. Hereafter the legs arepressed together, so that the lid is urged to separate from the tin.During this moment of operation the front portion of the lower legs isformed like a jaw in providing of a support against the upper edge ofthe tin in connection with the pressing together of the legs and thelifting upwards movement of the lid by the tongue. During the closing ofthe lid the same jaw formations on the upper leg are used such as asupport against the surrounding edge portion of the lid at the same timeas the upper leg by aid of a hook formed portion is intended to graspunder the offset of the tin, so that during the pressing together of thelegs the front gripping and nipping means of the pair of tongs arepressing the lid downwards in the opening of the tin.

[0005] The invention is described closer below by aid of a preferableembodiment example under reference to the drawings enclosed, in which

[0006]FIG. 1 shows a schematic perspective view of the appearance of apair of tongs and when the same is in an open position,

[0007]FIG. 2 shows the same pair of tongs according to FIG. 1 in a viewoblique from below,

[0008]FIG. 3 is a partial side view of the pair of tongs illustrated inFIG. 1 and 2 where it evidently can be seen how the front portion of thepair of tongs with its gripping and nipping portions work in order toopen a lid, whereby the tongue of the pair of tongs in the upper leg isdisplaced inwards under the folded edge of the lid and which during thepressing together of the legs urges said lid to separate from the actualtin, and

[0009]FIG. 4 shows a partial view of the same type as in FIG. 3 but inwhich a pair of tongs is used to close a lid over a tin, whereby a hookformed portion of the front portion of the upper leg is intended to actas a support against an offset of the tin just below its upper edge, sothat a support of the front portion of the lower leg is intended toco-act from above against the lid and during the pressing together ofthe legs in re-closing of the lid, when the front gripping and nippingmeans of the pair of tongs move in a direction towards each other.

[0010] As can be seen from the drawing here is illustrated a preferredembodiment example of the invention in the form of a pair of tongs 1,which is intended to open and/or close a lid 3 on a tin 2 for e.g.paints, chemicals or the like. The pair of tongs 1 comprises two legs 4and 5, which are pivoted around an axis 6 and said legs are keepingthese in a tensioned starting position apart from each other by aid of aspring means not closer illustrated in the drawings, before or after useof the front gripping and nipping means 7 of the pair of tongs.Furtheron the pair of tongs 1 can include a buttom, which is notillustrated in the drawing, which is provided to keep the same in aclosed position when not used. The one or upper leg 4 of the pair oftongs 1 has a protrudable tongue formation B in the area of its free end10, said tongue formation 8 in its active position extends in under afolded edge 9, which runs around a lid 3 for closing of a tin 2.Furtheron the pair of tongs 1 comprises at least one supportingformation 12 in its other or free end 11 of the lower leg 5, whichextends in a direction upwards and past together of the tongue formation8 and in over an outer, upper free edge 13 of the tin 2 itself. Thesupporting formation 12 is provided to support against said edge 13, sothat during a pressing together of the legs 4 and 5, the tongueformation 8 is lifting up or separates the lid 3 from the tin 2 during asimultaneous pressing of said supporting formation 12 against the edge13.

[0011] In the embodiment example illustrated here the other or lower leg5 comprises two supporting formations 12, which each is situated on eachside of said tongue formation 8.

[0012] The one or upper leg 4 of the pair of tongs 1 further comprisesat least one hook formed portion or hook formation 14, which is locatedbelow the outwards and inwards displaceable tongue formation 8, andwhich hook formation 14 can be pressed against the underside of anoffset 15 extending around the upper edge 13 of the tin 2 at the sametime as said supporting formations 12 on the other or lower leg 5 arepressed against the lid 3 from above and against its folded edge 9during the pressing together of the legs 4 and 5 in order to close thelid 3 on the tin 2.

[0013] By aid of the pair of tongs according to the present invention itis thus possible both to open and to close lids over tins of the typementioned above and which now are existing on the market and which byaid of up till now existing tools have been shown to be very difficultto open.

1. A pair of tongs for opening and/or closing of tins for e.g. paints,chemicals and the like and comprising two legs (4,5), which are pivotedaround an axis (6) and said legs (4,5) are provided with gripping andnipping means (7) in its front portion, characterized in that the one orupper leg (4) in its free end (10) is provided with a protrudable tongueformation (8), which in its active position is displaceable inwardsunder the folded edge (9), which extends around a lid (3) for closing ofa tin (2), at the same time as at least one supporting formation (12) inthe other or lower legs' (5) free end (11) extends upwards and ispassing the tongue formation (8) and inwards over an outer, upper freeedge (13) of a tin (2) in order to support against said edge, so thatduring a pressing together of the legs (4,5) said tongue formation (8)is lifting upwards or separates the lid from the tin (2) during asimultaneous pressing of the supporting formation (12) against the upperedge (13) of the tin (2).
 2. A pair of tongs according to claim 1,characterized in that the other or lower leg (5) comprises twosupporting formations (12), which each is located on each side of saidtongue formation (8).
 3. A pair of tongs according to claim 1,characterized in that its one or upper leg (4) comprises at least onehook formation (14), which is located below the inwards and outwardsdisplaceable tongue formation (8), which is able to be pressed againstthe underside of an offset (15) extending around the upper edge (13) ofthe tin (2) at the same time as the supporting formation (12) of theother or lower leg (5) is able to be pressed against said lid (3) fromabove and in a direction against its folded edge (9) during the pressingtogether of the legs (4,5) in order to close the tin (2) by said lid (3)